Tifa and Cloud looked up into her eyes. They were stll a vibrant emerald green, and in the glow of the brlliant aura around her, they shone like polished gemstones. Cloud took a second look and realized that they were moist with tears, despite her overjoyed expression. Her hands clasped together in prayer before her face.
For the second time that night, Cloud recognized the position. It was the same that Tifa had done earlier, the same that Aeris had done just before she was killed by Sephiroth. Before she was taken away from him. He realized that she was slowly straining against some mysterious unseen force that gently but surely pulled her further from the ground. She was starting to shimmer too, so that he could see right through her.
"You have to go," Cloud said, "Don't you?" His tone made it clear that it was not really a question.
Aeris nodded, and smiled in her mysterious knowing way.
"But why?" Tifa had a startled look in her eyes. "Aeris, I was so sure I never wanted to see you again, for you loved Cloud. But... now that you're here, I don't know what we'd ever done without you!"
She turned and looked at the softly glimmering stairs that spiralled up and beyond, into the darkness far above the City of the Ancients. "Cid! At least go see Cid! He came all this way, too! I'll go get him! Just wait! Aeris, you don't have to go! You mustn't!"
Cloud ran for her, and grabbed her wrist before she could take more than a couple of steps. He held her close, and she struggled for a moment before she gave up and sobbed onto his shoulder. "You mustn't, Tifa," he said to her softly, reassuringly. "She won't have long. You mustn't."
"Cloud, let go of me! Let-- !"
"Tifa, please," Aeris said. Tifa froze and looked up at her. She was almost gone, now. The aura of light around her strained and shimmered weakly. "Now it is Cloud's turn to finally understand."
"Understand?" Tifa looked up, panicked, into Cloud's ever-serene face. "What do you mean?"
Aeris smiled. "I am dead. You are alive. So live."
Tifa blinked, uncomprehending.
"All living things have their time, here in the world you know. But afterwards... they break down and their life force... their essence becomes rejoined with the LifeStream. When your time comes to pass, then we can all be together. You. Cloud. Cid. Barret. Vincent. Yuffie. Even Cait Sith. And me.
"You still have so much time left, dear friend," Aeris said in a pleading voice. She was almost completely gone now; her voice was hollow and faint and all that remained of her was a shadowy dismembered head. "Please, use that time with those you love most. I will always love you for looking back on me from time to time with kind thoughts.... But, like waters parted before a rock, we shall be joined again...."
And with that, she vanished in the air, and all became dark once more around Tifa, still in Cloud's arms.
Cid grumbled to himself. His arms were crossed across his barrel of a chest, and he gnashed his teeth on all that remained of a cigar stub. "So why the hell did no one freaking call me?"
Tifa giggled behind her hand. "I'm sorry, Cid. I really am. I was going to, but there was no time."
Cid looked over to Cloud, who also had his arms crossed over his chest, but the lad's face betrayed little emotion, if any. As usual. "And the stone? Her body? What did you do with them?"
Cloud jerked his head to the still waters surrounding the pagoda. "They're together. Deep down there. They sort of belong together, if you ask me."
Cid sighed, and scratched his scalp on the back of his head. "To hell with it, then." He stood up from his cross-legged position on the stone floor, then paused. "She say anything to me? A message or something?"
Tifa froze. Now that she thought about it, Aeris hadn't left a message for him. Not even a hello. Did she? She couldn't remember. She opened her mouth to say no, but Cloud cut her off.
"She said, she'll meet us again. Sometime." Cloud looked over at Tifa, who was working her jaw furiously. "Isn't that right?" Then he smiled.
Tifa's face relaxed into a smile. "Of course," she said. "That's absolutely right." She turned to Cid, who arched an eyebrow at the two of them dubiously. "Should we get going then? I don't think there's anything left for us here."
Cloud nodded his agreement, as did Cid. "May as well," said the grizzled pilot. "The freaking blimp's been wandering aimlessly for two days now, above us. The crew must be going nuts." He grinned at the thought, then nodded his agreement once more to her.
Tifa held up her left hand, her glove studded with Materia stones.
WARP!, she cried out.
A yellow stone on her glove flashed brilliantly with a light that surrounded them all, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone. The only evidence that remained, that anyone was there at all, was a long, thin silk ribbon, the kind that you tied your hair back with. It was a light pink hue, the color of a cherry blossom flower in full bloom.
THE END
For the second time that night, Cloud recognized the position. It was the same that Tifa had done earlier, the same that Aeris had done just before she was killed by Sephiroth. Before she was taken away from him. He realized that she was slowly straining against some mysterious unseen force that gently but surely pulled her further from the ground. She was starting to shimmer too, so that he could see right through her.
"You have to go," Cloud said, "Don't you?" His tone made it clear that it was not really a question.
Aeris nodded, and smiled in her mysterious knowing way.
"But why?" Tifa had a startled look in her eyes. "Aeris, I was so sure I never wanted to see you again, for you loved Cloud. But... now that you're here, I don't know what we'd ever done without you!"
She turned and looked at the softly glimmering stairs that spiralled up and beyond, into the darkness far above the City of the Ancients. "Cid! At least go see Cid! He came all this way, too! I'll go get him! Just wait! Aeris, you don't have to go! You mustn't!"
Cloud ran for her, and grabbed her wrist before she could take more than a couple of steps. He held her close, and she struggled for a moment before she gave up and sobbed onto his shoulder. "You mustn't, Tifa," he said to her softly, reassuringly. "She won't have long. You mustn't."
"Cloud, let go of me! Let-- !"
"Tifa, please," Aeris said. Tifa froze and looked up at her. She was almost gone, now. The aura of light around her strained and shimmered weakly. "Now it is Cloud's turn to finally understand."
"Understand?" Tifa looked up, panicked, into Cloud's ever-serene face. "What do you mean?"
Aeris smiled. "I am dead. You are alive. So live."
Tifa blinked, uncomprehending.
"All living things have their time, here in the world you know. But afterwards... they break down and their life force... their essence becomes rejoined with the LifeStream. When your time comes to pass, then we can all be together. You. Cloud. Cid. Barret. Vincent. Yuffie. Even Cait Sith. And me.
"You still have so much time left, dear friend," Aeris said in a pleading voice. She was almost completely gone now; her voice was hollow and faint and all that remained of her was a shadowy dismembered head. "Please, use that time with those you love most. I will always love you for looking back on me from time to time with kind thoughts.... But, like waters parted before a rock, we shall be joined again...."
And with that, she vanished in the air, and all became dark once more around Tifa, still in Cloud's arms.
Cid grumbled to himself. His arms were crossed across his barrel of a chest, and he gnashed his teeth on all that remained of a cigar stub. "So why the hell did no one freaking call me?"
Tifa giggled behind her hand. "I'm sorry, Cid. I really am. I was going to, but there was no time."
Cid looked over to Cloud, who also had his arms crossed over his chest, but the lad's face betrayed little emotion, if any. As usual. "And the stone? Her body? What did you do with them?"
Cloud jerked his head to the still waters surrounding the pagoda. "They're together. Deep down there. They sort of belong together, if you ask me."
Cid sighed, and scratched his scalp on the back of his head. "To hell with it, then." He stood up from his cross-legged position on the stone floor, then paused. "She say anything to me? A message or something?"
Tifa froze. Now that she thought about it, Aeris hadn't left a message for him. Not even a hello. Did she? She couldn't remember. She opened her mouth to say no, but Cloud cut her off.
"She said, she'll meet us again. Sometime." Cloud looked over at Tifa, who was working her jaw furiously. "Isn't that right?" Then he smiled.
Tifa's face relaxed into a smile. "Of course," she said. "That's absolutely right." She turned to Cid, who arched an eyebrow at the two of them dubiously. "Should we get going then? I don't think there's anything left for us here."
Cloud nodded his agreement, as did Cid. "May as well," said the grizzled pilot. "The freaking blimp's been wandering aimlessly for two days now, above us. The crew must be going nuts." He grinned at the thought, then nodded his agreement once more to her.
Tifa held up her left hand, her glove studded with Materia stones.
WARP!, she cried out.
A yellow stone on her glove flashed brilliantly with a light that surrounded them all, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone. The only evidence that remained, that anyone was there at all, was a long, thin silk ribbon, the kind that you tied your hair back with. It was a light pink hue, the color of a cherry blossom flower in full bloom.
THE END